Originally published August 31, 2008 at 12:00 AM | Page modified August 31, 2008 at 12:40 AM
PrintAuto Racing | Champ Jimmie Johnson worries leaders
While Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards are 1-2 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings and building strong cases for starting the 10-race Chase for the championship as the favorites, there is a shadow looming.
FONTANA, Calif. — While Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards are 1-2 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings and building strong cases for starting the 10-race Chase for the championship as the favorites, there is a shadow looming.
Jimmie Johnson, the Cup champion in each of the past two seasons, is seldom far from their minds.
"I've always been worried about Jimmie Johnson," Busch said. "I take him as being probably the best driver on the circuit. You never know what he can come up with during a race or what him and [crew chief] Chad [Knaus] can come up with in their cars to make it fast."
Likewise, Edwards said, "We talked about it this week, my trainer and I. We were kind of going over the guys that were really going to be tough and it goes without saying, Jimmie Johnson has proven that he can do it when it matters. I think that's one of the guys you're going to have to beat. You're going to have to beat Jimmie to be the champion."
Johnson, fourth in the points, will start from the pole in today's Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway. There are two races left before the field is set for the 12-driver Chase.
Busch captures Nationwide Series event
Busch led 144 of the 150 laps at Auto Club Speedway on Saturday night to take the Camping World RV Service 300 presented by Coleman, his seventh NASCAR Nationwide Series victory of the season.
Busch held off runner-up Edwards on two late restarts, piling up his record 18th NASCAR victory of the season, including eight in Cup races and three in the Craftsman Truck Series.
Derrike Cope of Spanaway placed 30th and Larry Gunselman of Snohomish was 36th.
Note
• Series leader Scott Dixon will start from the pole in today's Detroit Indy Grand Prix, an IndyCar Series event. Helio Castroneves, who is second in the standings, 43 points behind Dixon, was second in qualifying.
At a news conference Thursday, Castroneves asked Dixon, "Are you feeling the pressure, buddy?"
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
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